Can pet coke find a good home while coal prices soar?

摘要

Petroleum coke is abottom-of-the-barrel by-product of the oil refining process. It is the heavy material which remains in the refinery process when all the other more valuable products, such as liquid petroleum gas (LPG), commercial fuels and oil have been taken out. There is plenty of it, especially in the US where it has been produced and collected for many years and which accounts for three-quarters of the world supply. Worldwide production was around 50 mt in 1999 and this could be as much as 100 mt by 2010. Supply is no problem; finding a commercial use for it has been the challenge.